Fish-Man Bay.
Nami found Leno lying flat under a sun umbrella, surrounded by a circle of beautiful mermaids attending to him.
With a leap, she landed on his stomach, looking down at him from above with a bright smile.
"Big dummy, guess who we ran into today?"
"Who did you meet? Other than Jinbe, we shouldn't really know anyone else on Fish-Man Island."
Wearing sunglasses, Leno accepted a drink handed to him by a nearby mermaid and replied lazily.
The past few days on Fish-Man Island had been incredibly comfortable, allowing Leno to truly relax and enjoy himself.
Today, he had even accepted an invitation from the little starfish Pappag to visit this beautiful bay.
Dressed in beach shorts with his upper body bare, admiring the lovely mermaids around him, it felt just like a vacation.
Seeing his utterly lazy appearance, Nami punched him lightly with annoyance before speaking mysteriously.
"Do you remember that fish-man pirate crew that invaded Cocoyasi Village before?"
"Hmm? You mean… that little octopus we let go back then?"
Now that she mentioned it, Leno remembered. When he had met Camie earlier, the thought had crossed his mind briefly before he forgot about it.
"Exactly!" Nami snapped her fingers and grinned. "That guy opened a takoyaki stall in the shopping district!"
"You wouldn't believe it—when he recognized us, he was so scared he almost knelt on the spot!"
As she spoke, she leaned against Leno's chest, giggling nonstop.
Imagining the scene, a smile appeared on Leno's face as well. He wrapped an arm around the restless Nami and asked,
"And then? You didn't beat him up again, did you?"
"As if!" Nami glared at him irritably, rubbing her cheek against his chest before continuing, "We even ate a lot of takoyaki there. Honestly, it tasted pretty good."
"I see. That's nice."
Gently stroking her back, Leno murmured softly.
That little octopus had been lucky. He hadn't disembarked with Arlong's group back then; otherwise, he wouldn't have escaped death.
The guy wasn't truly evil—just a small-time follower going with the flow.
"Hey, Nami, is the Log Pose fully charged? Should we start thinking about leaving?"
"Hmph. I thought you'd forgotten everything while soaking in all this softness," she grumbled unhappily, raising the Log Pose on her wrist. "It filled up yesterday. I was planning to tell you today. But it seems your performance hasn't been too bad!"
Looking at the pouting Nami in his arms, Leno lowered his head and pressed his lips against her soft red ones.
"Mmm—"
After a deep kiss, Nami's face flushed red as she buried her head in his chest, her voice barely audible.
"You awful big dummy… there are still so many people here."
"Hehe… little sister, you're so cute."
Seeing Nami's shy reaction, the surrounding mermaids teased her one after another.
Still young—getting embarrassed just from a kiss.
At the same time, their gazes were filled with envy. This was the Thunder God. To receive his favor was such incredible fortune.
Who wouldn't want to attach themselves to such a powerful figure and change their fate? Yet he seemed to have no interest in them that way.
His attitude toward them was respectful and polite—but politeness wasn't what they wanted…
"Mr. Leno, you're leaving so soon?"
Pappag, who had been listening nearby, immediately jumped up, looking over with obvious reluctance.
He had wanted to deepen his relationship with Leno and create more memories to boast about later.
At that moment, Nami suddenly turned toward him and said with a mischievous grin,
"Yeah, we're leaving soon. Shouldn't you give us some more gifts before we go?"
"Huh?! Again? I already gave you all the clothes from my two shops! Still not satisfied?"
Hearing Nami's shameless remark, Pappag stumbled backward in shock, his sunglasses almost falling off.
How could someone be this greedy? He might be rich, but he couldn't keep giving things away for free forever.
"Ahem…" Even Nami, thick-skinned as she was, felt a little embarrassed. Her eyes rolled as she said slyly,
"It's just that your designs are really beautiful. Don't worry—we won't take your stuff for nothing!"
She patted Leno's chest and said proudly,
"We'll let you use the Adventurers' name. Trust me, before long, everything you've given us will come back to you with interest."
"W-What?! You mean it?" Pappag stuttered in excitement, looking at Nami for confirmation. "I can use the Adventurers' name?"
"Of course. But—"
"Deal!"
Pappag agreed instantly, overwhelmed with joy.
This was truly a blessing falling from the sky. He had never heard of anyone doing business under the Adventurers' name before.
He would be the first!
With the Adventurers backing him, Pappag's reputation would surely spread across the entire world!
Watching the two hit it off immediately as Pappag happily led Nami away to pick up more items, Leno shook his head helplessly.
He couldn't help but admire Nami's mind.
When it came to money-related matters, she always came up with the most unexpected ideas.
As for allowing Pappag to use the Adventurers' name, he had no objections.
Just a small matter—let them do as they pleased.
…
…
"Another all-nighter!" Nami glared at Leno angrily. "You big idiot, can't you show some restraint? Uta still can't even get out of bed!"
Today was supposed to be their departure day. They had planned to properly say goodbye to everyone, but now Uta couldn't appear at all.
This damn jerk!
Ever since he came back from Shirahoshi last night, something had felt off. He grabbed Uta and left immediately!
Seeing the dissatisfaction in the girls' eyes, Leno looked a little awkward, though he still muttered defensively,
"How is that my fault? You're the ones who refused to all sleep under one blanket…"
"…"
Hearing such shameless words, the girls blushed as they exchanged glances before quickly looking away.
Although they were all very familiar with each other now, actually doing that together still felt difficult for them to accept.
Normally, Leno rotated between upper, middle, and lower shifts. Last night had been too late, and in the end only Uta suffered!
Just thinking about it made them feel resentful. This guy's physique was terrifying.
With their current stamina, none of them could withstand his rampage alone.
They had even tried methods before, like making him wear Seastone—but it had no effect at all! (T/N: Seastone handcuffed to the bed???)
Did they really have to satisfy this perverted request of his?
But for now, it seemed like that was the only way they had any hope of defeating him…